I just sold my 2009 Mac Mini Core 2 Duo with 8 GB memory and 120 GB SSD drive. I turned around and poured the proceeds into a 2011 i5 Mac Mini. I guess I had gotten spoiled by having the SSD drive and lots of memory, because when I got my new Mac Mini home I was very disappointed in its performance. The next day I went out and bought 8 GB memory to upgrade the RAM, and that made all the difference. While the drive is still slower than my SSD drive, the 4 CPU's make it much faster at things that don't depend on drive speed. I'll get a new SSD after this month, but I'm a lot happier with my new Mini now that I've upgraded the RAM._________________"Nothing unreal exists." - Spock

I think Lion really does need 8GB of Ram. I have a 2.53GHz C2D mini with 4GB Ram running Lion and a 2.0Ghz iMac also with 4GB of ram running Snow Leopard. The iMac wipes the floor with the mini, its just so much faster at everything. Lion to me is just bloatware like vista was to windows _________________Phil

I think Lion really does need 8GB of Ram. I have a 2.53GHz C2D mini with 4GB Ram running Lion and a 2.0Ghz iMac also with 4GB of ram running Snow Leopard. The iMac wipes the floor with the mini, its just so much faster at everything. Lion to me is just bloatware like vista was to windows

Whatever the case, I get a very strong impression Apple is dead set on everyone upgrading machines and going big on Ram just to keep performance to mid sys 10 levels. Case in point - the Macbook Pro Retina. Better get 16 G ram or forget running Adobe or any pro apps with any overhead, like Logic.

There's still a chance they'll bump the Mini and iMac one more time before they strip down to SSD only and on board memory (as in THEIR memory only) so hang out with your old system cause the hardware requirements are getting shorter and shorter with each system rev.

At least RAM is cheap. I remember guys back in the days of OS 7 - 8 spending several thousand on Ram alone. Now it's 100 to 200 to max out with chips that are 5X faster. Guess that's the good news

True, RAM makes a huge difference. Do you want to know what else does? Putting a SSD in your 2011 Mac mini. I just bought an 256GB Samsung 830 series SSD from Newegg and it's made even more of a difference. Applications almost open instantly and startup times are insanely fast. The upgrade didn't hit my wallet that hard either. I only paid $189 for the drive after getting $60 off with a promo discount. Which happens to end today, by the way. Get one if you can!

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I only paid $189 for the drive after getting $60 off with a promo discount. Which happens to end today, by the way. Get one if you can!
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Sadly, I didn't see your post until today (6/29). Yes, I had an OCZ Agility 3 in my 2009 mini, which I sold to buy the 2011 mini. Believe me, an SSD is on the to-do list!_________________"Nothing unreal exists." - Spock

As a final postscript to this discussion, I announce that I finally did replace the HD with an SSD. I found a great deal on an OCZ Agility 4 256gb SSD at Microcenter.com. They have a local store here in Kansas City, so I can get online prices without paying shipping. They had the drive on sale for 189.00, which I couldn't pass up.

Stats: Black Magic's Disk Speed Test reports writes in the 170-200mbs range and reads between 3-325. Compared to 75mbs for both read and write using the stock 5400rpm HD. The Agility 4 tops out around 400mbs for both r&w.

I think Lion really does need 8GB of Ram. I have a 2.53GHz C2D mini with 4GB Ram running Lion and a 2.0Ghz iMac also with 4GB of ram running Snow Leopard. The iMac wipes the floor with the mini, its just so much faster at everything. Lion to me is just bloatware like vista was to windows